The Sultan’s Soldiers

Known as The Tiger of Mysore, Tipu Sultan rules his Indian kingdom with a passion and ferocity only otherwise found in the tiger’s lair. His throne sits upon two wooden tigers, his weaponry and artillery are artfully sculpted to represent the tiger’s fearsome face, and his soldier’s armour is emblazoned with the bold ‘bubris’ shape of the tiger’s vivid stripes. His love of the tiger and his hatred of the British come together in one astonishing piece of
ornamentation: a mechanical tiger commissioned for his palace, simulating the gruesome death of a British soldier.

It is the late eighteenth century, and the Colonial British are invading Tipu Sultan’s princely state, storming his palaces and looting his riches. As The East India Company advances, Tipu Sultan rallies his troops from the furthest corners of his jewelled kingdom. He summons the majestic cats from the jungles, he calls the birds from the skies, and he releases the hounds from the kennels. To prepare them for battle, Tipu adorns his soldiers in the finest armour, beaten from Indian gold and jewelled with rubies and emeralds. Each helmet is carefully embroidered with ornate stitching, and each back is emblazoned with the tiger’s fearful stripes.

Set before the Palace, the residents of the ornate gardens are ready and waiting. Tension is high, and the creatures are agitated. The black panther is magnificent in his golden bubris, and his shining armour attracts the attention of many, though they must proceed with caution; he is not one to be reckoned with.

The pheasants soar over the treetops, they call their battle cry to the creatures below. The spotted feathers of the Lady Amherst’s Pheasant catch the sun as she flies, a golden dagger clutched in her delicate feet. The Temminck’s Tragopan Pheasant swoops just below her, his cobalt blue ‘horns’ glowing, and flying across them both, the Golden Pheasant ascends with his tiger-striped tail feathers streaking metallic brushstrokes as he flies. The pheasants are carrying glistening weaponry from Tipu Sultan’s magnificent armoury; the hilts are sculpted into tigers and set with precious jewels.

In the ornamented kennels, the atmosphere is calmer; the dogs know their duty and are focused, ready to serve their master. Over the years, flowers have grown around the delicate stonework, allowing smaller creatures to make their homes in the kennel alcoves, and now they benefit from the strong and confident atmosphere around them. The dogs pace back and forth, running through the orders in their heads, ready to move as a pack when the time comes.

As the invaders finally break through the city walls, they are met by an army of ‘tigers’, leaping from the parapets and swooping overhead. His soldiers advise Tipu Sultan to escape from secret passages and live to fight another day, but to their astonishment he replies, "One day of life as a Tiger is far better than thousand years of living as a Sheep". Tipu Sultan died defending his capital on 4 May 1799.